It is known to use photodiodes as photocells for supplying energy to integrated circuits. The photodiodes can be provided, for example, in the form of an external module via which the integrated circuit is supplied with electrical energy. In order to achieve the supply voltage which is necessary for a typical integrated circuit, series circuits of photodiodes can be used, for example.
However, for many areas of application, for example integrated circuits for implementing an autonomous sensor device, a highly integrated and thus compact design is important, with the result that an energy supply via an external module is not desirable. Integration of series-connected photodiodes on the semiconductor substrate of an integrated circuit is connected with considerable expense, however.